HYPR HAWAII 12’6 RACER TEST REPORT

Verdict

Sporty 12’6 boards are among the most versatile things on the water and Hypr’s 12’6 Racer is an excellent expression of the type. This is a sleek, quick stunning board that will handle the heaviest water you’d paddle out in and is limited only in terms of wind by whether you can safely unstrap it from the car roof, or not. It is simply stunning in finish and design, we think it’s the ultimate companion for hardcore day missions and heavy water paddling on the ocean.

Overview

It’s hard to know where to start or stop looking at the Hypr Racer. The profound gloss over carbon finish is mesmerising enough but it’s not long till your eye is drawn deep inverse V on deck running to the tail, or the trimaran hull. With these features alone the Racer is unique.

Slightly more conventional yet still essential, three race handles span the deck whose cockpit is clad in the familiar soft, regal red Hypr grip. A cam-mount to help record your ocean going mission and unobtrusive bungee to store supplies to get you through are fitted up front, and two leash plugs at the tail will keep you attached in the worst circumstances.

Brand Claim

The Racer is an enduring design which carries the Hypr DNA up to the present day. This board looks amazing, but what’s even more special is underneath. To achieve the Rolls Royce-esque build quality we vacuum bag our boards at least twice so construction is bulletproof. We’re willing to add a little weight, with the usage of more expensive materials to achieve a board that will last “forever”, as all classics should. Everything is hand done, there is no automation, no AI, only HI.

Performance

We’ve said it already but the Racer is a heavy-water master. Up front a purposeful splitting bow forms into a ridge that continues along the underside of the board to the tail. The rails have full length pronounced chines which create the classic Hypr trimaran hull shape, or continuous deep double concave. At rest and low speed the Racer doesn’t suffer disruption and hugs the water, a few paddle strokes later though and the slick, open water glide takes over.

If outright speed and efficiency is your goal you’d go for the 14’0 x 24.5” but for versatility as a club racer, fitness board, open water explorer, wave catcher, Atlantic downwind chaser and Battle of the Paddle-style (remember that?) shorebreak puncher the 12’6 x 26” Racer is it.

The stunning Hypr boards are verging on collectors’ items, and an FB group based owners-club has formed among like-minded enthusiasts to share a more involved connection with their boards rather than platforms to get from A to B. The design fundamentals of the Racer have stood the test of time, and its construction will see you many, many years into the future. To paraphrase a saying relevant to the purchase of premium goods, we think acquiring one would be to ‘buy once, smile every time you use it’.

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